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How Tha Carter III came to be "the most anticipated rap album of 2008" is a story that involves the usual delays and promises of a masterpiece, plus a whole lot of bullet points that could only exist in the absurd world of Lil Wayne. There's his complete annihilation of the mixtape game, the ridiculous amount of guest shots he granted since Tha Carter II made him a hip-hop superstar, that photograph of him kissing his mentor, Birdman, rumors of addiction to the sizzurp, plus the gargantuan ego and aggravating aloofness (Wayne will ignore all incoming beefs and infuriate challengers even further by offering the lethal "I don't listen to your records"). His "best rapper alive" quote is discussed to death, but if that claim includes creating perfectly crafted full-lengths in a 2Pac style, the evidence won't be found here. Tha Carter III is instead a surprisingly casual album that takes numerous listens to sort out, and only part of a puzzle that is scattered across mixtapes, guest shots, and Internet leaks. Had he included another easy-access single like "Rider" from The Drought Is Over, Pt. 4 -- just one of his mixtape series that made it to a Pt. 5 -- the "classic" argument could be considered, but figuring out what to sacrifice from this high-grade jumble is difficult. It wouldn't be the electro-bumpin' "Lollipop," an infectious track that contains the wonderfully Wayne line "I told her to back it up/Like burp, burp." You certainly wouldn't want to lose key cut "Phone Home," where the maverick adopts an alien voice and drops "I could get your brains for a bargain/Like I bought it from Target." Another Weezy special from way outside the hip-hop universe comes in the striking "Dr. Carter," when the football reference "And you ain't Vince Young/So don't clash with the Titan" dances on a David Axelrod sample and an unexpected jazzy production from Swizz Beatz. Giant meets giant when Jay-Z stops by for the velvet-smooth hangout session "Mr. Carter," and with Babyface laying the stylish swagger all over "Comfortable," Wayne gets the opportunity to convincingly vibe in the land of true class. Just like on Tha Carter II, Robin Thicke ends up the most complementary guest, coating Wayne's post-Katrina tale "Tie My Hands" in warm buttery soul. As the track flows from political commentary ("My whole city's underwater, some people still floatin'/And they wonderin' why black people still votin'/Cuz your President's still chokin'") to despair and onto some moving "keep your head up"-styled verse, it proves Wayne can go deep and connect with his audience if he chooses. You can fault him for not connecting enough on the album and further complicating his unmanageable body of work with this disjointed effort, but Wayne's true masterpiece is the bigger picture and how he's flipped the script since the first Carter rolled out. Filled with bold, entertaining wordplay and plenty of well-executed, left-field ideas, Tha Carter III should be considered as a wild, somewhat difficult child of Weezy's magnum opus in motion, one that allows the listener an exhilarating and unapologetic taste of artistic freedom. [A clean version of the CD with a revised track listing was also released.] ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
more albums by this artist
See all-
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- Tha Carter III
- Released 2008
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- Tha Carter II (Parental Advisory)
- Released 2005
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- Tha Carter III (Parental Advisory)
- Released 2008
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- Tha Carter (Parental Advisory)
- Released 2004
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listener reviews
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lil wayne
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- By rocc12
- 4/18/2009 03:00:37
- dat nigga is proly da ugliest nigga ever
- Be the first person to rate this review!
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LIL WAYNE IS SO HOTT
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- By Crazyblonde666
- 1/11/2009 20:41:42
- k lil wayne a.k.a Weezy is super hott, k his voice is super amazing and original!!!! i love all his songs, there amazing! all u haterz out there dont know anything and assume way to much, he's incredible n has such a good personality, i could tell by some of his interviews n his songs, you can tell he's chill,
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lil wayne is suppper smexxxy
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- By miz sugar lips
- 12/30/2008 02:02:16
- omg lil wayne aka weezy is so hoottt and hes like the best rap singer in the world no jock he has it all I love all his songs and listining to him on the cumputer about his life makes me think he is a really cool person and we have a lot in common u'd be suprised I LOVE HIM
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LIL WAYNE!!
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- By Brina538
- 12/25/2008 17:26:07
- LIL WAYNE IZ DA BOMB! OMGGG!
I LUV WEEZY BABY!!!
LOL
YOU GATTA LUV
LIL WAYNE..IF YOU
DNT..DERS SUMTIN WRONG WIT CHU!!
:D* - 2 out of 3 people
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Yo
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- By Pedro Pepito
- 12/20/2008 00:11:13
- Lil Wayne are on the top.
He are SICK!!! - 3 out of 3 people
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Lil Wayne is Hip Hop!
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- By MissLainaBoo
- 12/12/2008 02:48:53
- Lil Wayne is The Best!
Like They Say...........Lil Wayne is Hip Hop! - 2 out of 2 people
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gay
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- By IsaacJ2809
- 12/1/2008 18:09:04
- i have to admit lotz of his stuff is good but it gets old fast
- 0 out of 2 people
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HIP HOP IS DEAD
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- By SeLFiSh DWI
- 11/26/2008 07:21:13
- the reason why hip hop is dead....
- 2 out of 5 people
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top listeners
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- 71 plays
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- 70 plays
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- 28 plays
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- 118 plays
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